Field of Innocence
by Kaen Okami
Summary: From a few moments of happiness as a child, to the conquest of Ba Sing Se, one way or another Lu Ten has always been there for his youngest cousin. Rated T for child abuse and character death.


**A/N - I have this one headcanon that Azula and Lu Ten were very close before his death, so that's where this story came from. The title comes from the song 'Field of Innocence' by Evanescence. Give it a listen while you read if you want, but in my opinion it's pretty damn depressing. This was originally going to be a oneshot, but it turned out to be longer than I thought, and it's going to be three chapters. Enjoy!**

**~0~**

_Not fair, _thought Azula, kicking a rock across the courtyard to vent her anger. _Zuko _had been allowed to bend as soon as he was able to, but when she'd produced her first sparks, Mother insisted that she had to wait to train. And now, a few months later, she couldn't even go with her to watch Zuko's firebending lesson? _Not fair, not fair, not fair._

Wandering aimlessly around the palace and kicking at rocks did little to alleviate her agitation, so the four-year-old princess looked around for a more satisfying outlet. Her eyes landed on the little flock of turtleducks quacking and splashing around in the pond, and she glared at them. Mother gave those little creatures more affection than she had ever shown to Azula. Her foot nudged against the small rock she'd kicked earlier, and she bent down to pick it up. She tossed it lightly into the air once, caught it, and then pitched it as hard as she could at the turtleducks. She gave a satisfied smirk when it landed right in the middle of the group, sending them running frantically in all directions. It felt _good, _Azula thought.

"Zula," a voice from behind chided her, making her jump. She spun around to see Lu Ten looking at her with a disapproving look. "What did you do that for? I doubt those turtleducks did anything to you."

Azula opened her mouth to answer him, but found that she didn't know how to explain her actions to him. "I...I just felt like it! That's all." She crossed her arms and gave Lu Ten a defiant look.

Lu Ten raised an eyebrow at his younger cousin. This wasn't like her. _No, _he thought, _there has to be something else going on. _He walked up to Azula, whose expression faltered for a moment, and knelt down to look her in the eyes. "I don't think so, Zula," he said gently. "Listen, is there anything bothering you? Anything you want to tell me about?"

Azula kept up the petulant expression for a minute, then her face fell. "Lu Ten, when did you start bending?"

"When I was six," Lu Ten replied slowly, a bit confused. "Why do you ask?"

"Weren't you able to start training when you started to bend? Zuko too?"

"Yes, Father started training me that afternoon, and Zuko began to train the next day."

"Exactly! So why can't _I _train yet?!" she shouted, making Lu Ten jump a little. Azula went on, "Is it because I'm not first born, or because I'm a girl? Why won't Mother let me?"

_Oh, so that's it! _Lu Ten put a calming hand on her shoulder, saying, "Hey, take it easy, okay? What did your mom tell you?"

"She said I'm too young to start firebending training yet, even though I can bend. Daddy says I should, but Mother's still saying no. I don't get it! You and Zuko were young when you started training, so why can't I?"

"Well," Lu Ten began, privately thinking that his aunt could have explained this a bit better to Azula. "It's not that you're worse than Zuko or me, it's just that she's worried about you." He had to fight to keep from laughing at the way his little cousin scrunched up her face in confusion. "You have to understand, Azula, fire is the most dangerous element. It's wild and it does what it wants. Especially for a young bender, it's dangerous to use, because of how easily you could lose control of it and hurt yourself or someone else. That's why your mother wants you to wait until you're a bit older to start bending. Just being able to bend doesn't make you ready to bend, you see," he explained.

"So...She just doesn't want me to get hurt?"

Lu Ten didn't like how surprised she seemed at that, and decided to look into it later. "Exactly. Your mom loves you a lot, Azula," he reminded her, "and she wants to make sure you stay safe. Though you do have a point too - once you're able to bend, you should learn to control it soon so no accidents happen. Like one time when I was little, I accidentally lit my dad's tsungi horn on fire!"

Azula giggled. "But it's metal! How did that happen?"

"Don't ask me how I managed to do that," Lu Ten said, chuckling along with her at the memory. "I still don't know myself! But I did, and I can remember Dad telling me that it was all right, as long as I practiced more to make sure nothing like it happened again. And I think that's what you need to ensure your safety. Azula, if it's okay with your mom, do you want me to start training you?"

His cousin's face lit up. "Will you?!"

"Sure," Lu Ten smiled. "I'll ask Aunt Ursa as soon as I can. And for now, why don't we go find something to do that doesn't involve terrorizing innocent turtleducks?"

"Can we play hide-and-explode?" Azula asked eagerly. "It'd be more fun if Mai and Ty Lee were around, but we can play it with just us, right?"

"Of course we can." Lu Ten gave his cousin a quick smirk, and then poked her playfully on the forehead. "You're it!" he said before wheeling around and dashing off towards the small forests on the palace grounds - reasoning that it was a better place to play the game and they'd be less likely to accidentally damage anything important - with Azula, all traces of her anger and indignation gone, sprinting after him. Seeing her bright grin and hearing her cheerful, carefree laughter, Lu Ten felt a deep sense of satisfaction at making his little cousin feel better, and resolved to make sure Azula and Zuko were always this happy.

~0~

Azula clung tightly to her big cousin, with her arms around his neck and her knees hugging his hips, as he carried her on his back across the palace grounds. With her mother's blessing, Lu Ten had told her, they were going to start her firebending training this morning, right at sunrise. She let out a huge yawn, not used to being up before the sun was.

"Lu Ten, why'd we have to get up so early again?" she asked.

"We're firebenders, we rise with the sun," Lu Ten said, seeming completely unfazed by the early wakeup. "It's traditional for young firebenders to practice as the sun rises, because that's the time we can be closest to Agni and the other fire spirits. My dad told me it's to bring us more in tune with the spirit world, and make us better benders."

"Did you and Zuko do this when you started bending?"

"Yeah. Well, I did. Dad tried to get Zuko up for it a few times, but that kid sleeps like the dead."

"Do you really think helps us get closer to the spirits?" Azula asked. Lu Ten was pleased to hear her sounding curious and hopeful instead of skeptical and mocking like her father.

"I know it does. Some benders actually feel their presence at times. Dad has, he told me about it."

"They were actually with him? Wow..." Azula wondered if there was something specific you had to do to get the spirits to notice you, and made a mental note to ask her uncle later. "What's it feel like?"

"Well...Dad said he couldn't quite explain it, but you'd know it when you felt it. Oh, we're here." Lu Ten stopped, and Azula looked around at the place he'd chosen to begin their training. It looked like they were at the very edge of the island, on a wide, grassy, dew-soaked cliff about ten feet above the ocean. The calm, gently rippling water looked slate gray in the steadily growing light of the rising sun. Though it was barely sunrise, the air was quickly becoming comfortably warm. Azula decided she liked it.

Lu Ten knelt down and loosened his hold on her legs to let her climb down off his back. "All right," he said, grinning at her. "Are you ready to start your training?"

"Yeah!" Eager to begin, Azula tried to go into crane stance, but almost immediately started to wobble on one leg and tip backwards. Lu Ten caught her before she fell over, gently pulling her back into position.

"Easy, now," he murmured as he corrected her stance, moving her hand back and her knee above her waist, making sure to keep a hand on her shoulder to steady her. "See, to do a crane stance, you hold your leg and arms like this. We'll have to work on your balance when we get to these stances later." He lifted his hands up for a moment. "Is that better?"

"Mm-hmm." Azula focused all her attention on keeping her wobbling left leg from moving back and holding her right knee in the air. After a minute, Lu Ten thought she had the hang of it.

"All right, I'm going to let go now," he let her know. He carefully lifted his hands from her leg and shoulder and took a couple steps back to watch. Her stance was still shaky and a little awkward, but that was to be expected from a beginner. In fact, for someone who was just starting out, she was doing very well. "Good job, Zula!" he said proudly. "Okay now, natural position," he said, demonstrating the relaxed stance.

Azula quickly copied her cousin, looking very pleased with herself for doing the stance right. "What next?"

"Well, which do you want to learn next: blocks, strikes, or kicks?"

"Umm...All three!"

Lu Ten laughed. "Maybe we'll try a kata or two later. For right now, how about I show you the horse stance, and we'll move into some standard blocks and punches from there, okay?"

"Okay!"

For the next two hours, Lu Ten drilled his younger cousin in all the basic moves and stances he could fit in. Azula, excited and delighted, threw herself into the training. Seeing Lu Ten demonstrate every form flawlessly, she was impressed and a little jealous. Moving carefully through the forms he'd taught her, with the sun's light growing brighter and warmer on her back, Azula's determination to one day be as great a warrior as him became stronger.

She promised herself she'd train as much as she could, push herself as hard as possible, to be just as powerful as the rest of her family. Her big cousin, her great-grandfather, her father - yes, she thought as she shifted her weight back and forth and tried to move her arms faster to block Lu Ten's mock punches, one day, Azula would be just like them.

~0~

_"Zula, you want to practice your jump kicks for a bit before I have to go? You were having a little trouble with - Azula?!"_

"_L-Lu Ten, I...Please leave me alone!"_

"_Like hell I will - What happened to you?! Let me see your neck."_

"_It's okay, Lu Ten, it's nothing! Really!"_

"_Agni above, it covers your whole shoulder...Azula, tell me what happened _right now. _Who did this?!"_

_"It...It was just an accident, I swear! We were training and...He didn't mean it! He said he was sorry right after, he didn't mean to do it!"_

_"Who did this to you, Azula?"_

_"D-Daddy was just trying to help me with a firebending form I had trouble with. He never meant to hurt me!"_

_"Azula, he burned a clear handprint on your back, you think he didn't mean it?! Wait...Zula, has this happened before?"_

_"Um...Well, it's just -"_

_"Answer me!"_

_"N-Not often...But they're just training accidents!"_

_"Oh, of course they are! Ugh, I can't believe this...But considering it's _him, _I can't say I'm surprised. Azula, you stay right here until I come back. Don't leave your room, do you understand?"_

_"But, Lu Ten, where are you going? Please don't say anything to my dad! Lu Ten!"_

_"Stay here!"_

In his nineteen years as a prince and a soldier, Lu Ten had dealt with corrupt backstabbing Fire Nation politicians, fierce and brutal Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe soldiers, and much of the scum of the earth in general. None of them had been able to provoke the kind of pure burning rage he felt spurring him on now. His stomach was churning, he could barely see straight, and the only thing he could think of was _hunting that man down and making him answer for this._

Servants dove out of the visibly furious prince's way as he sprinted blindingly fast through the halls of the palace, with his eyes blazing and expression frightening. Right now he didn't care if he knocked one of them over, he had no time to be his usual polite self. Vaguely, he thought that if his father or aunt saw him, they'd stop him even if he told them what was going on. _Well, _he answered himself, _it's a good thing they're out, then. No one to protect you now, Uncle._

He didn't know how long or how far he'd run before he caught sight of his target's back. His face contorted into a feral snarl. _"Uncle Ozai!" _he roared, and he had the satisfaction of seeing the man jump. He reached Ozai in seconds and grabbed him by the front of his robes.

"I just saw Azula. I saw what you did to her! What the hell is wrong with you, Uncle?! Why would you do that to her?!" he demanded.

Ozai's expression was frustratingly calm. "I don't know what you're talking about, Lu Ten. Azula's just fine. Training's been a little hard for her lately, but - "

"Don't even try to deny it! You _burned your handprint into her back!_ She's _five years old, _you sick bastard! Why in Agni's name would you think, _Yes, this is perfectly okay, let me just horribly burn my own daughter? _Why?!"

"Maybe it was just an accident, did you ever think of that? Maybe I just faltered on a complicated form, and fell too near Azula? Or..." Ozai's face split into a sadistic grin. "Maybe she's proven as incompetent as her brother one too many times, and just had to be taught a lesson."

Hearing that, Lu Ten let out a howl of rage, and he slammed his uncle against the wall so hard he heard it crack. "Y-You...You sick...twisted...son of a - !" His head was spinning, his vision went red, and he could barely see straight. His hatred and disgust for his uncle choked him, and he was unable to force out another intelligible word.

Ozai was unfazed by his nephew's wild anger, and acted as if he didn't even notice his knuckles grinding into his ribs. He gave a smug smirk in response to the other's feral snarl. "Why so upset, Prince Lu Ten? The wound is minor, really. It won't even leave a scar. Besides, they're _my _children, if you've forgotten, and they are mine to raise how I see fit."

"They...? _Have you done this to Zuko too?!" _Lu Ten screamed, lunging forward so his face was about two inches away from Ozai's. _"Have you done this before?!"_

His uncle snickered. "What's it to you? You're not their brother, even if you like to act like you are, nor are you a good teacher. I've seen how they fight and bend with you training them, and it's pathetic. All I'm doing is making them strong. It's not my problem if you don't like my methods."

"I'm about to _make _it your problem!" Lu Ten fixed his uncle with a fierce glare, his eyes like gold fire. "Now you listen to me, Uncle, and listen good," he growled. "If you hurt either one of those kids again, if you say anything to make them feel bad, if you so much as _look _at them wrong, I will face you in an Agni Kai and _I will break and humiliate you in front of the whole court. _I don't care who you are. I don't care if our family is watching. I'll hold nothing back, I will destroy you!"

As he listened to the younger prince's tirade, Ozai's smile faded. True, he was a prince of the Fire Nation and an incredibly powerful bender...but so was Lu Ten.

The boy had won just as many Agni Kai as Ozai had despite being twelve years younger, and was already leading troops out to crush rebellions in the outer islands. He was making his threats in anger, but he was still completely serious. And Ozai knew his nephew was perfectly capable of backing up his threat. He grimaced. He would dearly love to give in to his pride, to just say 'Go ahead and try it!' and teach this brat a lesson in the dueling arena, but his sense of self-preservation told him it was time to back down and not provoke the younger prince's wrath again.

"You should learn your place, nephew," he snarled, shoving Lu Ten away and stalking off down the hall. "Did Iroh never teach you respect?"

"Did Grandfather never teach you decency?" Lu Ten snapped back. Ozai didn't respond, and Lu Ten watched his back until he disappeared around the corner. When his uncle was out of sight, he took a deep breath and let out a long sigh as his fury slowly faded. He had settled things, he told himself, he had laid down the law with his uncle, and now there was only one thing left to do.

Lu Ten turned and started to walk back the way he came. As he made his way through the corridors, he realized he had run all the way to the other side of the palace in his mad dash to find Ozai, and gave a short, breathless laugh at the thought. When he passed by them, the servants watched him warily - they'd been startled by his wild behavior a few minutes before, and although he was calm now, they were still nervous at the blank expression on their normally smiling prince's face. He'd try to reassure them some time later, he decided. Like before, he had only one thing on his mind now.

After about ten minutes of walking, Lu Ten reached his destination. He threw open the door, and internally kicked himself when his sudden entrance made the girl huddled under her covers jump. "D-Daddy?" she whimpered, sounding close to tears. "Daddy, I swear I didn't tell him anything, I - "

"Relax, Zula. It's me," he said soothingly, thinking to himself that he should have punched Ozai right in the face when he had the chance. The life of a member of the royal family was nerve-wracking enough, his cousins didn't need or deserve any more. He quickly crossed the room and sat down on the bed next to her. He carefully pulled back the thick red blanket, uncovering his cousin's frightened, tearstained face staring up at him. "Come here," he said, opening his arms to her, and Azula leaped into his lap without a second's hesitation. He held her close to his chest, careful not to touch her burned shoulder, and murmured, "It's all right now. Your dad won't do anything to hurt you again, I made sure of it. And if he ever does or says anything to you _or your brother, _you tell me right away. No matter what he tells you, okay? Promise me you'll do that."

"O-Okay," she agreed, still sniffling a little. "Are...are you gonna tell Zuko too?"

So his fears were confirmed. "Yes, of course, as soon as you're okay here. You guys don't need to be scared of him anymore, know why? Because _he's _scared of _me. _I made sure of _that, _too." He had seen it in his uncle's eyes when he threatened to challenge him to an Agni Kai. Ozai's experience and intense training had made him powerful, but Lu Ten knew his own righteous anger and passion would make his fire burn hotter and stronger. He hoped it wouldn't come to a duel, but if it did, they both knew who would win. He hugged Azula tighter to him. "It's all right now," he repeated.

"Th-Thanks, Lu Ten," Azula said, giving him a small smile. She looked completely relieved, and snuggled closer to her big cousin.

Feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off him, Lu Ten returned the smile. "I promise you, Zula, as long as I'm here, I'll always protect you."

**~0~**


End file.
